Article Number: 000135207
USB 3.0 Device is Recognized as USB 2.0 on a Dell system
Summary: This article provides information about how to fix a USB 3.0 device when it is recognized as USB 2.0 device on a Dell computer.
Article Content
Symptoms
When plugging in a USB 3.0 device you may be presented with an error or it may not be recognized at all.
The error may report 'This USB device can transfer information faster if you connect it to a Super-Speed USB 3.0 port', even though it is plugged into a 3.0 port.
USB 3.0 ports on Dell systems are usually identified by the Blue plastic insert in each port (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Illustration of USB 2.0 (black) and USB 3.0 (blue) ports on a computer.
Figure 2: Illustration of USB 3.0 super speed icon.
NOTE: It is not a requirement to have blue plastic inserts (Figure 1) to distinguish USB 3.0 ports. With new systems the USB 3.0 ports may have standard black plastic inserts but will still have the USB 3.0 logo (Figure 2) located beside the port. When the system has a mixture of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 it is more likely that the USB 3.0 will be called out with blue inserts.
Cause
When a USB 3.0 device is plugged in 'slowly' to a USB 3.0 port, it is expected behavior of the hardware to recognize as USB 2.0.
Resolution
If the above error is seen try the following steps to resolve:
- Verify that the device that you are using supports USB 3.0. See the documentation of the USB device for more information.
- Plug the USB 3.0 device again and avoid inserting the device slowly.
- If the above steps does not resolve the issue, see the Dell knowledge base article How to Troubleshoot USB Port When it is Not Working.
Additional Information
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Article Properties
Affected Product
Desktops & All-in-Ones, Electronics & Accessories, Projectors & Accessories, Laptops, Software
Last Published Date
30 Jan 2024
Version
7
Article Type
Solution